Frutarom invests in algae startup for food, cosmetic products

One of the world’s largest flavoring and specialty natural ingredient companies is investing in algae to enhance its food and cosmetic products.

Frutarom Industries said on Monday it bought half of a biotech startup called Algalo, which is based on a kibbutz, or communal farm, in northern Israel, that developed a way to efficiently cultivate, harvest and process a variety of algae.

The algae yield strong antioxidants, lipids and proteins that can help cardiovascular and immune systems, as well as bone structure, Israel-based Frutarom said.